Costa Coffee's autumn menu, featuring Maple Hazel and a new matcha latte, arrives Aug. 27. The launch marks the start of peak coffee season, with implications for arabica demand and Coca-Cola's retail segment.
Costa Coffee, the UK's largest coffee chain and a subsidiary of Coca-Cola (KO), will launch its autumn menu on Thursday, August 27, 2026. The seasonal lineup includes the return of the fan-favourite Maple Hazel range and a new Maple Hazel Iced Matcha Latte, alongside two new toasties and several sweet treats.
For the coffee market, autumn is the start of the peak consumption season. Hot drink sales typically rise sharply from September through February, driven by cooler weather and holiday rituals. Costa's menu refresh, available across all its UK stores and on Costa Express machines, signals that the retail coffee channel is gearing up for higher volumes.
Nishant Bhatia, global food & beverage director at Costa Coffee, said the Maple Hazel range "has become a much-loved part of that seasonal tradition for many customers." The brand is also extending the flavour into new formats: an iced matcha latte, Barista Creations sachets sold in supermarkets, and a partnership with Jet2 that will serve Maple Hazel lattes onboard flights from Sept. 1.
Matcha, made from ground green tea leaves, is a separate commodity from coffee. Costa's move to pair the hazelnut and maple profile with matcha could nudge demand for high-grade Japanese green tea, though the volumes are small relative to the coffee business.
On the food side, the chain is adding a Philly Cheesesteak Toastie and a Four Cheese Toastie, along with returning items like the Dubai Style Pistachio Tiffin and Chocolate & Salted Caramel Cake. These are less relevant to commodity markets but support foot traffic and average ticket size.
For coffee traders, the seasonal demand ramp is already priced into arabica and robusta futures, but retail innovation can create incremental demand. Costa's menu launch is one of several early-autumn product pushes from major chains. Starbucks and Pret A Manger typically announce their seasonal offerings in late August as well.
Coca-Cola's coffee segment, which includes Costa, has been expanding distribution globally. The Costa Express network now covers thousands of locations in the UK and Europe, and the Jet2 deal adds a travel channel. These distribution points mean the Maple Hazel flavour will reach consumers beyond the café footprint.
The autumn menu also includes a limited-edition merchandise collection – reusable cups and plush toys – which is a margin driver for the brand rather than a commodity story.
From a supply perspective, the coffee market has been watching Brazil's 2026 harvest. The arabica crop is expected to be slightly below last year's due to dry weather during flowering, which could support prices if demand picks up as expected. The Costa launch itself will not move prices, but it is part of the broader demand picture that traders watch.
Costa Coffee's autumn menu hits stores nationwide on Aug. 27. The company will report its next quarterly results as part of Coca-Cola's earnings in October, when the initial impact of the seasonal push will be visible.
For more on how commodity markets react to seasonal demand shifts, see our commodities analysis.
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